There’s a direct relationship between exercise and success. It sounds strange, but consider it for a moment. We tend to think success comes when we concentrate all our energy on working day in and out. But that wears you out.

We don’t realize dedicating ourselves to just work can lead us to failure, a lack of motivation and the destruction of our physical and mental health. Without vigor, we can’t strive for the things we want most, such as a career or meeting our family’s needs.

Vitality doesn’t come from tiring yourself endlessly working. It comes from tuning into your body and providing it the physical movements it was meant for.

When exercising, you’ll benefit from the production of endorphins, known as the “hormones of happiness.” Exercise creates a protein that makes your neurons healthier, gives you energy, improves memory and relaxes you. By doing do, you’re less stressed, so you look and feel better. Not to mention you’ll feel more confident and positive, which will translate over to your relationships and work.

A positive and energetic person is a winner. Everyone else around you can sense it!

You can feel this exuberance in the most successful people in the world.

Take for example President Barack Obama, who showed up at the gym at 7 a.m. the day after his election. There’s Bernard Arnault (one of the richest men in the world), who works out at his gym everyday until lunchtime. The biggest actors and singers can usually be found working out every day. Their physical preparation sets in motion a mental preparation that provides them with a dynamism that pushes them to succeed in life.

Ernst & Young conducted a global study of 821 senior managers and executives to show the importance of exercise in the development of leadership skills and team motivation. The study concluded that 55 percent of the C-suite women had played sports at the university level. The study also found that 72 percent of people who play or have played sports participate more effectively within teams than those who have not had this experience. A similar number of women -- 76 percent -- also agree that adopting behaviors and techniques from sports into the corporate environment can be an effective way of improving the performance of teams.

What I’m getting at is the stress from a life without some kind of physical activity hurts your personal and professional relationships as well as boosts your blood pressure. The stress will literally kill you!

You can remedy this and change your life for the better with something as simple as a 30-minute workout once a day. Even if you can’t break a sweat at the gym that day, stop using elevators at the office or take a walk to run errands instead of driving.

Push your body in a positive direction and it will guide you towards a more successful life.